


Chorus Club

by Existinghere



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1950s, Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24809332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Existinghere/pseuds/Existinghere
Summary: Donghyuck just moved to America, he wanted to fit in and be unnoticed. Jungwoo had other ideas for the talented kid.Donghyuck is forced to join the chorus club full of other asians, but he ends up actually enjoying it. And meeting tons of friends
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

Tremont high was a prestigious high school. By prestigious I meant, a school that cost a lot of money to go to. There were a few kids on scholarship, but most of the student body came from prominent families in the suburbs. 

Even though their parents payed an obscene amount of money to send them there, it was like any other high school. There were the jocks, the math nerds, band nerds, Geeks, artsy people, social justice, and the misfits. And there was a good chain. The jocks were on the top and the rest lower than them.  
It was two weeks into a new school year and they were holding auditions for the school play. It was The wizard of oz, a drama of two lovers who grew up in a small town.

The auditions were held in the auditorium and were in front of everyone else in the audience.  
A boy stood in the spotlight on the stage. He was wearing slacks, with a button up flannel shirt. He had brown longer hair, longer than the usual crew cuts. His skin was tan and he had several moles on his face. His brown eyes sparkled as he sang a song.  
His voice was honey sweet and unique. He sang the high notes perfectly. The drama and chior teacher were shocked. They had never met this boy before. He was new at school and everyone in the drama community wondered who he was. When he stopped singing he nodded his head towards the teachers.  
"What is your name again?" The choir teacher asked the boy.  
"Uh, Peter Lee." The boy said. His English had a slight dialect undertone.  
"What grade are you in?" The drama teacher asked, pushing up his glasses to rest on his nose.  
"I'm a sophomore. I just transferred here." The boy said, his real name was Donghyuck Lee, but he decided when he moved to America that it would be better to go by his English name.  
"Thank you. The casting will be up Thursday." Donghyuck went off the stage.  
The rest of the kids auditioned and soon it was over as Donghyuck walked out many people complimented him on his singing.  
He had to admit that he liked the attention. It had been two weeks at this school and he so far hadn't gotten much attention. He tried to blend in, not going by his Korean name and dressing the way everyone else did.  
He noticed a few other Korean students, their school had a bunch of rich Korean families there.  
"Hey, Peter!" Someone called from behind him. It was an upper classman. He's seen him around. He was Korean as well. He was much taller than him. He smiled at him as he caught up to him. "Hey, you were really good."  
"Oh, thanks."  
"I'm Jungwoo by the way." He stuck out his hand to shake it. Donghyuck shook his hand. "You should join our chorus club. I know we would love to have you. I'm kind of the leader."  
"Oh, really?" Donghyuck nervously played with a bracelet he had on.  
"Yeah. We sing some swing music, some pop. It's really chill. We also have a concert twice a year. We could use your range. " Donghyuck was almost at his classroom.  
"I'll think about it."  
"Okay! Let me know. And is Peter your real name?" Donghyuck was shocked by that question. He thought if he should tell him.  
"No… it's Donghyuck." Jungwoo smiled.  
"Okay, see you around, Hyuck!" Donghyuck was about to protest to him calling him that, but Jungwoo was already down the hall. He sighed and went into the classroom. 

Jungwoo wouldn't leave Hyuck alone, he asked everyday if he would join the club. Hyuck finally said yes, the day he was casted as the tinman in the school musical.  
Jungwoo found him after school. Hyuck was at his locker getting his books when Jungwoo approached him.  
"Ready for the club?" Jungwoo said, putting an arm around him. "Congratulations by the way, on getting the part of the tinman."  
"Congrats on getting the part of the wizard."  
"Thanks!" Jungwoo smiled brightly. Hyuck was glad Jungwoo talked to him, but he also wished Jungwoo wasn't so touchy. He can be touchy, but only people that he loves and trusts. He was usually entiergtic and high energy too, but he was trying to be different because he decided to be a more intelligent, quiet person so he didn't attract the bad kind of attention.  
He followed Jungwoo into the choir room. There was only Koreans or what looked like Koreans there.  
A guy in his year that he recognized, Renjun maybe? Was sitting in the back of the classroom, drawing in a notebook.  
There was another one in his year.  
He was wearing a varsity jacket, and sitting next to someone who was in a year higher, who was also wearing a varsity jacket. He thought he remembered the younger from his science class, Mark was his name.  
There was a younger kid, who was really tall sitting by a kid who was smaller, but was wearing a basketball jersey.  
There was a kid, who was reading, he had circle glasses on. There was a older guy sitting at the piano, lightly playing it. There was another guy, who was very attractive staring out the window.  
There was a guy sitting cross-legged on a chair, crossing his arms.  
Then there was three other guys sitting by each other talking. There was a guy who was sitting in the front, who he recognized from his math class and his history class, who was smiling at him. Jungwoo cleared his throat, everyone looked at him.  
"Everyone, this is Hyuck, our new member." Hyuck looked at all the people, most of them were smiling at him, but some of them were just staring.  
"Hi! Do you prefer Peter or Hyuck?" The boy who was smiling at him said.  
"Uh… you guys can call me Hyuck…"  
"My name is Na Jaemin. Nice to meet you!" The boy said. Hyuck nodded at him.  
"Are you the one who is the tinman?" One of the boys in the middle with glasses asked. He looked Chinese rather than Korean.  
"Yeah."  
"I'm playing the scarecrow. I'm Xaiojun."  
"I'm Yangyang." The boy next to him said.  
"I'm Wong Kun-Haung. But you can call me Hendery." The other boy said with a smile.  
"Hi." Hyuck smiled at him.  
"Lucas!" Yangyang hit him on the back. The boy staring out the window reacted.  
"Oh, hi, I'm XuiXi. But you can call me Lucas if you want." He smiled widely at him.  
"I'm Yuta." The boy crossing his legs said.  
"Mark." One of them with a varsity jacket said.  
"Jaehyun, or Jae." The other boy with the varsity jacket said.  
"Renjun, introduce yourself." The boy on the piano said.  
"You just did." The boy drawing said, not looking up.  
"I'm Taeyong." The boy at the piano said.  
"My name is super long, so call me Ten."  
"I'm Si-Cheng!"  
"Chenle. And he's Jisung." The rest of them said to each other.  
"I'm Jeno." The boy who was reading said.  
"Nice to meet you all." Hyuck said.  
"You can sit next to me." Jaemin said with a smile. Hyuck slid into the chair next to him.  
"Now, Today I actually wanted to get some singing done. " Jungwoo said as he took papers off the desk. Half of the people groaned.  
"Hyung, you know we never get anything done in this club." Jeno said, putting his book down.  
"Yeah, it's honestly more of an Asian club than a singing club." Ten added on, twiddling his pencil in his hand.  
"Can we at least sing one song?" Jungwoo pleaded. "How about you play the piano for us Chenle-ah?" Chenle sighed and got up from his seat and went to the piano. He sat down and Taeyong moved so he could sit.  
"What song?" Chenle asked.  
"Uh… any song." Chenle nodded and started playing lonely boy by Paul anka.  
Suddenly Jaehyun started singing. His voice was a deep baritone, it was also smooth. Xaiojun joined in, his voice was higher and light. Jungwoo smiled and joined in on some harmonies. Ten joined in and his voice was so clear and stable. Hyuck was surprised that they could sound this good from an impromptu song.  
Then the song was over and they smiled at each other.  
"They're good, huh?" Jaemin whispered to Hyuck.  
"Yeah." Hyuck looked at Jaemin, his eyes sparkled when he smiled. Everyone went back to doing their own thing.  
"Fuck." Lucas said standing up. "I told my mom 

I would be home around 3." Lucas stood up and Hyuck realized he was really tall.  
"Ugh, why'd you do that?" Ten stood up as well and grabbed his bag. Yangyang also stood up.  
"Sorry, she said she wanted to have dinner early with all of us." Lucas said.  
"Bye guys, see you tomorrow." Yangyang said as he followed them out. 

"They're half brothers. Ten and Lucas have the same mom, and Yangyang and Ten have the same dad. " Jaemin explained to Hyuck who must have looked confused. Hyuck nodded.  
"Wow, that's interesting." Hyuck said.  
"Yeah, they're an interesting family, but they're all pretty close. Do you have siblings?" Jaemin asked.  
"Uh, yeah. I have three younger siblings, but they're still in Korea."  
"Oh? Why did only you come over?"  
"Uh…" Hyuck didn't really know how to describe it, or if he wanted to tell Jaemin.  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Jaemin looked genuine.  
"No, um, it's just complicated. My parents sent me to stay with a family friend in America to get a better education and… well it's easier for them if I'm not there."  
"Oh. I'm sorry."  
"It's okay. I don't mind it.." Hyuck smiled lightly at him. He smiled back. 

When it was time to leave, Hyuck realized he didn't have a ride. He didn't want to ask for one so he just stood outside the school doors.  
"Are you waiting for your ride?" Mark said, coming up behind him. Hyuck looked at him.  
"Uh, I don't have a ride.. I was going to take the bus.." Mark smiled at him.  
"Dude, Taeyong can drive you." Hyuck looked confused. "He's my brother."  
"Oh, um okay. Thanks." Mark motioned him towards a cherry red 1950 Muntz car. Taeyong was in the driver's seat.  
"Can we take Hyuck home?" Mark said, peeking in the window.  
"Yeah, sure." Taeyong smiled at him. Hyuck got in the back seat and Mark got in the passenger side.  
"Thanks."  
"Where do you live?" Taeyong asked.  
"I live off of Main Street. Right by the drug store."  
"Oh, okay. We live pretty close to that actually." Taeyong said. He pulled out and they were off. 

"So, how're you liking Tremont so far?" Mark said as he turned around in his seat to face Hyuck. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Hyuck got distracted for a moment by his face.  
"Uh, it's good I guess… It's really different from Korea."  
"Yeah, that makes sense. I was only in Korea until I was 3 so I never got to experience Korean school." Hyuck nodded. "Why did you move here?"  
"Uh, my family wanted a better education and experience for me…" Hyuck looked down at his hands.  
"Oh, that's cool. So, did you always like singing?" When Hyuck looked up at him Mark was smiling.  
"Yeah. My Eomma said that I was born singing and performing. Apparently I was an attention seeking kid." Hyuck said with a smile. Mark chuckled a little bit. Hyuck really liked the sound of his laugh.  
"Mark did too. He would put on musical numbers by himself and perform for our family." Taeyong said. Mark hit him in the shoulder. "What? It's true." Mark rolled his eyes at him. Hyuck smiled wide at the interaction.  
"Man, are you ready for the science test next Wednesday?" Mark asked.  
"Haha, no. I hate science." Mark smiled at him.  
"Me too. Do you want to study together this weekend? I think studying with someone will keep me from tearing my hair out."  
"Uh, sure. I'm not sure what help I'd be." Mark smiled at him and Hyuck couldn't help but to smile back.  
"Do I turn here?" Taeyong asked. Hyuck suddenly paid attention to the road.  
"Yeah. Then take the next right and keep going." Taeyong did as Hyuck instructed.  
"I live in the blue house, right there."  
Taeyong stopped in front of the blue house.  
"We live like a few blocks away! Isn't that neat?" Mark said. Hyuck smiled.  
"Yeah. Thanks for the ride." He got his bookbag and opened the door.  
"No sweat."  
"See you tomorrow!" Mark said. And they drove off. Hyuck went up the driveway and took out his key to unlock the door. When he went in, he took his shoes off. 

"You're back late. Rehearsal?" The woman who was taking care of him asked. She had long black hair that was tied up in a bun. She was Korean as well, but not culturally. Her husband was sat at the table, reading some papers.  
"Uh, no. I had a club meeting."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah. A singing club."  
"Well isn't that cool." She smiled at him. "Here's your dinner. You can heat it up if you want."  
"Okay. Thanks, Lisa." She smiled at him. He ate some of the dinner then went up to his room.  
His room was a pale blue and had pictures up on his wall. He had pictures of his younger sister and his younger brothers. And his mom and dad, and some of his friends from Seoul. He had a guitar on a stand, and music books on his desk. He sat on his bed. He was happy he met Jungwoo. He was happy he met everyone. Especially Mark.


	2. Chapter 2

Hyuck and Mark decided to meet up after school on friday to study for their science exam. Hyuck rushed through the halls to get to the student parking lot.  
He had asked the AP English teacher a question, which incited a 15 minute conversation on grammar of the 1500’s. Hyuck went to the parking lot and spotted the red car that he’d driven in before. He walked up to it and opened the backseat door.  
“Sorry I’m late,” he said as he got in the car. He was surprised to see Mark sitting in the back as well. Mark smiled at him.  
“It’s alright.” Taeyong said as he shifted the gear and headed to Mark’s house.  
“How was school?”  
“Fine, except I’m even more worried for the science test.” Hyuck said as he put his backpack on the floor of the car, carrying all these books was killing his shoulders.  
“Yeah. Me too.” They sat in comfortable silence the rest of the drive. When they got to their house Hyuck had to do a double take. The house was way bigger than Lisa’s, it could eat the house he lived in. Hyuck stepped out of the car and stared at it in awe. It had at least three stories, with two spires. The front porch was big and had a porch swing on it. The cream colored house looked older than the houses near it. It looked like it was from the 1800’s maybe, but only because of the architecture. The house was clean and pristine. It had a manicured garden in front of it.  
“Big, huh?” Mark asked, as he put a hand on Hyuck’s shoulder to lead him in. Hyuck became extremely aware of the warm hand placed on his shoulder, his skin tingled. Mark let go of his shoulder when they entered the house.  
The inside was just as grand as the outside. The front room had a huge chandelier that sparkled with the sunlight. There were two sets of stairs that led upstairs.  
"You're like really _rich_ …" Hyuck said under his breath. Mark let out a small chuckle.  
"Yeah. My parents are from old money." Taeyong walked past them and went upstairs, giving them a small wave as he did so. "Are you hungry?"  
"Uh, kinda.." Hyuck felt out of place in this house. Hyuck's family was well off, they weren't poor, but they also weren't rich. They had the money to pay for his schooling from his grandfather. He'd never been in a house this big.  
"Okay, you can put your bag down if you want." Mark shrugged off his bag and placed it on a bench in the front room. Hyuck nearly placed his next to Mark's, then followed him into the kitchen.  
The kitchen was huge, it had two ovens and a huge fridge. Mark opened the white fridge and grabbed a few apples out of it. "Do you like peanut butter?"  
"Never had it.." Mark stared at him in shock.  
"Okay, then we are definitely having it." He went to one of the various cupboards and grabbed a jar. Then he started cutting the apples and put them on a plate. He opened the jar and dipped a slice in and held it out for Hyuck to taste. "This is historic." Hyuck rolled his eyes slightly, but took the apple and ate it. Mark watched him intently. "So?"  
"It's good. It's really thick, but it tastes good." Mark nodded and put the lid on the peanut butter. He took the plate of apples and handed them to Hyuck then he held the jar and started walking. Hyuck followed him back into the front room. They grabbed their backpacks.  
They went up the stairs and walked down the hall. There were three doors on the right side and 4 on the left. Mark turned right and then went to the second door and opened it.  
The room was painted a pale blue, in contrast with the dark wood furniture. His bed was huge, it had a canopy on top. His sheets were made perfectly, not a crease in the bedspread.  
His dresser was huge and held pictures and nicknacks on it. Hyuck put the plate down and looked at the nicknacks. There were snow globes from canada, and Korea. There was also a mini Eifel tower and a collousum.  
"They're from my family vacations." Mark said, suddenly behind Hyuck. Hyuck could feel his breath on his neck. He tried not to freak out. "We actually lived in canada until I was 10." Mark moved away from him. Hyuck turned around.  
"That's cool." Mark sat in his desk chair. Mark's desk was dark wood that shinned in the light. It had engravings in the legs. There was also a chair in the corner next to a book shelf. Mark put his bag down and Hyuck did the same.  
Hyuck looked around to see a guitar.  
"Do you play?"  
"Yeah. I'm not that good though." He spun around in the chair lightly.  
"I'm sure you're excellent. You're good at everything." Hyuck sat down in the chair by his desk.  
"Not _everything_ " Mark took his science textbook out. "Like I'm not very good at science."  
"Who is?" Hyuck got his notebook out.  
"Jeno and weirdly enough Renjun is pretty good at it too." Mark mentioned. Hyuck gave him a unbelieving look. "It's true." 

They pulled out their study guides and started answering the questions. Every now and then they would eat some apples or ask each other what they wrote down or thought about the questions.  
They became completely stuck on one question. They searched through the textbook and couldn't find the answer.  
"I give up. I'm just going to fail." Hyuck said as he stood up in frustration.  
"Don't say that…" Mark said, a little less enthusiastic than he meant to. "Hey, I'll just call Jeno."  
"That's a good idea Mark!" Hyuck ruffled Mark's hair. Mark rolled his eyes at him.  
"Hey, I'm older than you."  
"But we are in America. Age doesn't matter." Hyuck smiled cheekily at him. Mark sighed and went into the hallway to find the phone. Hyuck followed him. They walked to the other end of the hallway and entered a room with big oak doors. Inside the room was shelves full of leather bound books. It also held a big desk and a sitting area. It smelled of cigars.  
"It's my dad's office." Mark mentioned as he went to sit in the big leather bound chair. He picked up the phone from the desk and dialed a number. It rang a few times.  
"Hello?" A female voice sounded through the phone.  
"Hello, Mrs. Lee. This is Mark, from Jeno's school."  
"Oh, yes. Hello Mark. How are you?"  
"I'm good. I had a question for Jeno."  
"Okay, hold on one moment." He heard a muffled shout for Jeno to pick up the phone upstairs. Then another click noise came.  
"Hello?"  
"Hi, Jeno-ah." He heard another click that ment his mother hung up her phone.  
"What's up, Markus?" Mark rolled his eyes.  
"Hyuck and I were studying for the science test and we got stuck. Can you help?"  
"Actually Jaemin, Renjun and I were just going to do that."  
"Oh, can we join?"  
"Uh, sure. But can we come over to yours? My sister has her boyfriend over and is kicking us out of the living room."  
"Yeah. My parents aren't home, the maid is here though. And my brother."  
"Okay! Can we study in your dad's office? I like all the books."  
"Sure, as long as you don't mess anything up."  
"Okay, bye! See you soon." Mark hung up the phone.  
"Are they coming over?" Hyuck asked, he was looking at a globe that was really old.  
"Yeah. Jeno, Renjun and Jaemin are." Hyuck was a little disappointed. Sure, he wanted to get to know the others and hang out with them, but he liked all e time with Mark. He liked joking around with him, he liked his laugh. He liked his smile. He liked accidentally brushing up against his chest when they looked over the textbook.  
Hyuck didn't know what to call this feeling. He had never really felt this way before, and especially not towards one of his friends, a male friend. Hyuck shook that idea out of his head as he really didn't think Mark likes him like that.  
They brought their books into the study and went to go take a break as they waited for the others.  
"So, you said you had siblings. How many?" Mark said as he sat on his bed.  
"Three."  
"Wow, that's a lot. Do you guys get along?" Hyuck swiveled in the desk chair.  
"Yeah. I'm the oldest. Me and my younger sister are super close. My younger brothers are way younger than me, but we get along."  
"How old?"  
"Uh, one is 9 and the other is 6." Hyuck looked at Mark, who was staring at him. He gave him a soft smile then looked away. Which left Hyuck feeling weirdly hot. "Uh, are your parents gone often?"  
"My dad is a pastor so he's gone a lot to volunteer and speak to the community. My mom is gone a lot… she goes on trips often. But a lot of the time she helps out at her woman's club. My dad should be back later in the day."  
"Do they just leave you alone?" Mark smiled slightly at him.  
"You worried about me, Hyuckie?" Hyuck was surprised by the nickname, but smiled slightly.  
"Just wonderin' " Hyuck spin around in the chair again.  
"I'm 17 and Taeyong is always with me. If not the maid is here." Hyuck nodded.  
"Can you play something for me?" Mark looked surprised. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.  
"Uh, okay.." Mark got off his bed and grabbed his guitar. It was light brown with moonstone like frett labels. It also had roman numerals ingraved on the bottom of it.  
"What does those numbers mean?" Hyuck asked as Mark sat on his bed once again. Mark looked down at the numbers, forgetting they were there.  
"Psalm 104:33." Mark said. Hyuck gave him a blank stare. "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." Mark recited the familiar verse that his father ingraved on his guitar.  
"Hmm. That's cool. Do your parents like music as well?"  
"Yeah. My dad is really good at a lot of instruments. My parents were in a christian band before they had Taeyong. " Mark began absentmindedly strumming the strings, picking them in a melodic way.  
"That's so cool. My parents are boring."  
"What do they do?"  
"My father is a policeman. My mother does laundry for the neighborhood sometimes." Mark nodded.  
"Anything specific you want me to play?"  
"Hmmm.. anything you want."  
Mark began playing a song. Hyuck watched him as he strummed a song. Hyuck recognized the song.  
"Is this stand by me?" Mark nodded.  
"You know the words?"  
"Yeah. Do you want me to sing?" Mark nodded. Hyuck felt nervous for some reason but he began singing the song. It had a different feel when he sang it, his voice was higher and not as gravely. But it still sounded good. Hyuck looked at Mark as he sang. Mark looked at his guitar, sometimes looking up at Hyuck and smiling. When the song was over Mark gave him a big smile.  
"You're a really good singer." Mark put his guitar down. Hyuck felt his cheeks burning. They were so hot, he hoped Mark wouldn't notice the blush probably creeping up on his cheeks.  
Then there was a door bell sound and Mark got up and walked out to answer the door. Hyuck let out a sigh of relief. He was glad they were not going to be alone anymore.  
Hyuck got up and tried to calm down, he looked in the mirror and his cheeks were slightly pink. Hyuck went into the bathroom and splashed water on his face then dried it with a towel. He then went downstairs to see the other boys who came.  
"Hey, Hyuck!" Jaemin said with a warm smile. Jaemin's smile always had a warm and inviting quality to it.  
"Hi!" Hyuck said, enthusiastically, maybe a little too enthusiastically. Renjun nodded towards him and Jeno smiled at him.  
They gathered in Mark's dad's study. Jeno was explaining a problem to them and Hyuck was very distracted.  
"You okay?" Renjun said, nudging Hyuck's elbow. Hyuck looked at him in surprise.  
"Yeah… just thinking."  
"About?"  
"Uh… I'll tell you after I've thought about it." Hyuck twirled his pencil in his hand.  
"Okay." Renjun went back to filling out his paper. "I'm sorry if I came off as rude the first time we met." Hyuck looked at him, he was still looking at his paper.  
"Oh, um, it's okay."  
"I had a drawing deadline so I was irritable and rushed." Renjun looked at him this time.  
"Oh, that makes sense. Is it for a class?"  
"No, the art teacher signed me up for a contest. People from different schools participate in it." Hyuck nodded.  
"That's cool. You should show me your drawings sometime."  
"Uh, sure." Renjun smiled slightly at him. 

They finished their homework and then decided to watch a movie on Mark's family tv. They watched Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  
Hyuck felt weirdly called out by the movie.  
It was about a gay man who was married and didn't want to tell anyone he was gay, but they all knew somehow.  
Hyuck also thought Paul Newman was hot, so that didn't help.  
"You okay, buddy?" Jaemin whispered, noticing how Hyuck had a vacant stare.  
"Uh, yeah.. just, this movie is really interesting." Hyuck lied.  
"Are you sure that's all?" Jaemin's eyes sparkled and he seemed concerned.  
"Yeah.. just.. I've been thinking about things… like similar to the main character in the movie…" Hyuck didn't know why he told him that, but he felt he could trust him.  
"Oh." Jaemin had a moment of realization, "well, if you are, like the main character, then it's okay. We'll support you no matter what. And, I'm like the main character, so is Jeno. We are actually dating." Jaemin gave him a big smile. Hyuck smiled back.  
"That makes sense. You guys are cute."  
"Thanks." Jaemin gave Jeno a loving look and Jeno caught his eye and smiled back.  
"Thanks for accepting me.. I don't actually know if I am.. but I might be.. I'm just confused." Jaemin placed a hand on his shoulder. Hyuck felt comforted by it.  
"It's okay not to know. We are young, no need to rush deciding." Jaemin smiled at him, "If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you." Hyuck nodded. He felt like crying from happiness. He felt so alone the first few weeks he came to America, but now he had friends. Who actually cared about him.  
"T-thanks.." Hyuck didn't mean his voice to crack but he felt emotional, suddenly feelings started bubbling up, like how he missed his family, how he was so happy to have friends, how he felt safe now. A few tears started escaping his eyes. He willed them to stop, but they didn't.  
Jaemin gave him a warm hug, wrapping his arms around him. Hyuck barried his head in the crook of Jaemin's neck. "I'm sorry."  
"It's okay, Duckie. "  
"I'm just so happy to have friends.. I didn't talk to anyone for two weeks.. and it was lonely… and you care… thank you." Hyuck wiped his tears and sat up straight.  
"I'm glad you're here. You already fit right in!" Jaemin smiled his bright smile.  
Hyuck didn't notice everyone staring at him, concerned.  
"Are you okay?" Jeno asked. Hyuck nodded.  
"It was a happy cry." Hyuck smiled at them, their faces turned into relieved expressions. "Thanks for inviting me over, and thanks for being my friend, guys."  
"Who said I'm your friend?" Renjun joked.  
"I did. You don't have a choice." Hyuck quipped back. Renjun smiled at him.  
"Fair."  
Mark chuckled at them.  
Hyuck was so happy Jungwoo hunted him down to join chorus Club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! How'd you like this chapter? I'm still writing the filler chapters for this so I can have character development. So idk when I'll update. I will try for once a week. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Hyuck got closer to Mark and hung out with him on most weekends.   
Hyuck went to rehearsal every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday. And soon the show date was only a few weeks away. Hyuck went to all the games he could. He saw Chenle play basketball, Yuta and Jisung play soccer. He watched Jeno do track and he watched Mark and Jaehyun play football. On Fridays Renjun and Win-win and Yuta would take him to get food and they would all hang out. Si-Cheng and Yuta were kind of on an on and off relationship. 

Hyuck was so glad he had friends to hang out with.   
Soon it was the weekend before tech week and he was invited to a theater party. Apparently not just theater people were invited. Almost the whole school was going. Taeyong picked him up with Mark and Jeno and Jaemin in the car. Hyuck sat next to Mark and Jaemin.   
"Hey!" Jaemin said with a smile.   
"Hi." Hyuck said. He had never been to a party and was kind of nervous. Mark just smiled at him.   
"Have you ever been to a party?" Taeyong asked.   
"No…"   
"Wow, this'll be fun." Jaemin said with a smirk. Mark elbowed him in the shoulder. Jaemin rolled his eyes.   
"Okay, we are here. I'll pick you up at 11 but if that changes try to phone me at Johnny's place." Taeyong said. He wasn't really down to party so he decided to hang out with his friends who graduated last year. Hyuck had met them before. Kun was in medical school while Taeil was studying math. Johnny was trying to open his own coffee shop. Hyuck really liked them when he met them.   
"Okay. Thanks." Mark said. They all mumbled a thanks as they got out of the car. The house they were at was huge, like a big old mansion. It was already full of people. There were people spilling out of the doors and people on the lawn laughing and making out. It made the house look slightly less regal.

"Wow…" Hyuck felt intimidated by all the people. Jaemin put his arm around him.   
"Stick with us. Try not to get lost." Hyuck nodded. Chenle and Jisung walked up to them along with Renjun.   
"Hey!" Chenle said. He looked excited for his first high school party. They all walked in. A bunch of people greeted Mark and some greeted Hyuck. There was beer all over the floor. There were people making out on the couch and people dancing. Every hallway was full of people.   
"Want some alcohol?" Jeno asked them. Jisung shook his head, he looked scared. Chenle said sure. So they headed to the kitchen. Jeno had beer, Jaemin had the punch. Chenle tried the beer but hated it so Mark drank it instead. Hyuck had some of the punch. He'd never really drank alcohol before, but it made him feel lighter. So he got some more. It also made him forget about his developing crush on Mark.   
At this point he lost Jeno and Jaemin, Mark was talking to a girl who was on the cheerleading team. Hyuck leaned against the wall with Renjun. Hyuck tried not to get jealous of the girl who had her hand on Mark's shoulder, laughing.  
"You got a crush on him?" Renjun asked, taking another sip of his punch. Hyuck looked at him.   
"What? No… of course not."   
"Then why do you stare at him so often?" Hyuck was flustered. He didn't know how to answer that question.   
"Uh… cause he's beautiful." The words seemed to flow out of his mouth even though he didn't mean to say that out loud.  
"Hmmm… you think he's beautiful but you don't have a crush?" Hyuck sighed.  
"Okay.. kinda… but I don't think Mark likes dudes and… we are really good friends.. and.. he's too beautiful for me." Hyuck blurted out. Hyuck now knew what it was like being tipsy. His head felt like it was floating and he wanted to blurt out all of his thoughts.   
"Dude, you don't even know. Plus you are beautiful too. And you're really rad. So why wouldn't someone want to date you? " Renjun said with a smile. Hyuck smiled at him.  
"Thanks.. but I'm not sure.."   
"You don't have to do it tonight, but think about it. "   
"Okay." Hyuck patted Renjun on the back. He wanted to hug him, but knew Renjun didn't love physical affection. At least he was sober enough to remember that. He took another sip of the punch, which at this point just tasted like pure alcohol.   
"I don't want it to end up like Jeno and Jaemin."   
"What do you mean?"   
"Basically they were pinning over each other for months. Jeno was too scared to ruin his friendship and Jaemin respected that." Renjun took a sip of his beer. "It was torture to watch."   
"Wow, okay. Well it'll be different because Mark won't be pinning after me." Renjun raised his eyebrow at him. "What? Do you know something?"  
"Don't ask me, ask Jeno." Renjun shrugged. He eyed him. Hyuck turned to look at Mark and he was not next to the cheerleader anymore. The cheerleader was also gone.   
Hyuck wanted to find him. He wanted to be close to him, even if it was just as friends. so he went around the rooms, swaying a bit when he walked. Everything was loud, he jumped into so many people. He walked upstairs and into a bedroom where he heard what sounded like moans so he apologized and shut the door. That image weirdly sobered him up a bit.

He went into another bedroom and this time he heard Mark's voice. He was pleading with someone to stop it. Hyuck walked in and saw two guys, Hyuck didn't recognize them from their school. They looked up at him. Mark was on the bed, crying. His shirt looked torn. He looked dazed, and Hyuck got really mad. The two guys looked over Hyuck.  
"Get out!" One of them shouted. Hyuck didn't know what to do, but he didn't leave.   
"No." Hyuck could feel himself getting hot from anger.  
"What are you going to do, theatre nerd?" The taller one said.   
"Uh.. tell everyone you're jerks.." that's the best he could come up with a cloudy head.   
They laughed at him.   
"Jeno!!!" Hyuck yelled loudly. He hoped that would work. The taller man came towards him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. He could smell the alcohol on his breath."Jeno!!!"   
"Leave him alone…" Mark said meekly. It seemed like Mark was drowsy or something because his eyes were unfocused and he seemed to only remember where he was when someone talked.   
He heard footsteps coming towards the door and prayed it was Jeno. The man holding his collar threw him to the floor. Hyuck braced himself but the force was too strong. His head hit the floor with a thud. He felt dazed, like the room was spinning for a moment. He saw tiny black spots appear and disappeared. 

The door swung open and Hyuck looked to see who it was. He saw a tall muscular figure and a shorter muscular figure, along with two other people.   
"What are you doing?" Hyuck recognized the voice. It was Jeno. He heard his cry.   
"Hyuck are you okay?" Renjun went over to him.   
"Mark? What happened?" Jaemin ran over to Mark.   
"I said. What. Are. You. Doing." Jeno repeated. His voice had fire in it. The boys tried to run but Jeno threw a few punches before they left. They scurried out of the room.   
"Are you okay?" Hyuck finally sat up. He nodded then shook his head and got up and ran to the bathroom connected to the bedroom. He heaved into the toilet. The bile burned his throat. He felt awful.   
Jeno came into the bathroom and handed him a towel to wipe his mouth. Hyuck took it and did so.   
"Did you drink too much?"   
"No… I mean I drank two cups … I don't know. I just felt nauseous. I'm okay now." The taste lingered in his mouth, but he came out to check on Mark.   
Mark was hugging Jaemin. He seemed like he was falling asleep. He wasn't crying anymore.   
"What happened?" Jaemin asked quietly. Mark muttered something. But it didn't quite make sense.  
"Hyuck?"   
"Uh, I came in and Mark was crying. He was pinned on the bed… then the taller guy threw me down when I screamed. And then, you know the rest."  
"Was Mark drugged?" Renjun asked him.   
"I- I don't know. He was talking to a cheerleader and then he was gone.." Chenle was pacing.  
"Does this happen at all parties?"   
"No, it usually doesn't." Jeno said. He looked so mad and protective.   
"Hyuck, are you feeling okay?"   
"Yeah… I feel better, though my head hurts so much.."   
"Where's Jisung?" Jaemin asked. Mark was fully asleep now.   
"Uh, he was talking to the other soccer players." Chenle said.   
"Go find a phone and call Taeyong. Then find Jisung. Johnny's number is 712-543-6745." Chenle nodded. He ran out of the room. "Let's stay here until Taeyong comes." Jeno said.   
"Should we call the cops?" Hyuck asked. He was shaking a bit and his head was throbbing. Renjun left to go get him ice for his head.   
"I-I don't know.. I think Mark will be fine after he sleeps a bit.. he still has his clothes on… I mean. It might be more complicated if we get them involved… I'm not sure.." Jaemin said. He seemed panicked. Jeno placed a hand on his shoulder and he calmed a bit. Jeno kissed the top of his head and Jaemin smiled a tiny bit.   
Hyuck longed for comfort. He wanted to hug someone who he knew loved him. Renjun came back with Ice and he was thankful for it. It helped the throbbing a little bit. Jisung and Chenle ran into the room.   
"Taeyong is here." Jisung said. Jaemin and Jeno carried Mark while the rest helped them weave in and out of the crowd. Taeyong was in his car, but when he saw Mark he walked out and helped them. 

"W- what happened? Why…" Taeyong said. Johnny was in another car. He took Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, Renjun, and Jisung, while Taeyong took Mark and Hyuck.   
"What happened?"   
"Uh, he was being held down so I came… I think he was drugged. He seemed loopy. I'm sorry Taeyong… "  
"It's not your fault.. I'm glad he's okay." They went to Johnny, Kun, and Taeil's place. When they got in Kun checked Mark's vitals.   
He said he was fine, but he'll sleep for a while. So they all could sleep over. Many of them on the floor. Jeno and Jaemin snuggled together ontop of pillows and blankets.

Hyuck slept in Johnny's bed with Mark. They thought they both deserved the bed. Hyuck couldn't sleep even though he took like 4 ibuprofen. He couldn't help but feel hot from being so close to Mark in a bed. Mark's eyes suddenly opened.   
"What… what's going on??" Mark sat up, but then felt dizzy so he laid down again. Hyuck sat up. Mark rubbed his eyes. "Hyuck?"   
"Hi. Uh… do you remember what happened?"   
"No… wait, did something happen between us?" Mark sat up. _They were in bed together._   
"No. Not us." Hyuck held his hands up.   
"Why are we in bed with each other?" Mark looked around. "At Johnny, Taeil, and Kun's apartment?"   
"Uh, well. What's the last thing you remember?"   
"Uh, the party… talking to the cheerleader.. she said something about meeting this guy that knew me or something…" Mark scratched his head. "Then… " Mark's eyes widened, " Uh, rival team… they found out I was gay… so they…" Hyuck held his hand that was shaking. Mark looked up at him.   
"It's okay, I know what happened.."   
"Y-yeah… you came in and.. called for Jeno? Then I don't know.." Mark looked down. He started to shake a little bit. Hyuck rubbed his back. "Did they drug me… how.. why.." Mark started crying. It was a quiet sob. His body slightly shook. Hyuck hugged him. He rubbed his back through the sobs.   
"I'm sorry." Mark sat up and looked at Hyuck, tears still coming, slowly and saw that Hyuck had cried a few tears too. "I'm sorry you were hurt and treated that way. You're like my best friend already.. and I can't believe someone would do that to you. You don't deserve that. You deserve the world because you light up every room you're in." Mark hugged him again. They stayed like this for a few moments.  
"Thank you, Hyuck." Then Mark realized how tired he was. He laid back down. "I think I'm still drowsy.."   
"Okay, go ahead. Sleep. I'll leave you alone if you want." Hyuck began to scoot off the bed, but Mark grabbed his hand.   
"No, stay with me?" There was desperation in his voice. Hyuck laid on the bed next to him.   
"Okay, I'll stay." Mark squeezed his hand and then fell asleep, their hands still clasped tightly. 

When Hyuck woke up he had a throbbing headache and a warm lump next to him. He sat up and saw that the lump was a sleeping Mark. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. Hyuck wants to brush the hair out of his face, but decided against it. Suddenly the door opened.   
"Hi, Hyuck." Taeyong said, walking in with two plates of breakfast. He sets them down on the side table.   
"Hi…" Taeyong hands him some Tylenol and a glass of water. Hyuck gratefully took them. "Thanks."   
"Has he woken up at all?" He pointed to the sleeping boy wrapped up in blankets.  
"Yeah. He woke up later last night." Hyuck got out of the bed. His legs felt weak and his head was still pounding.  
"Did he remember?" Taeyong looked worried.   
"Yeah…" Taeyong sighed. "I think he should tell you exactly though." Taeyong nodded.

"Kun wanted to check up on you." Hyuck nodded and went outside with him. Jaemin was sitting on Jeno's lap on the couch and Jisung was sitting next to them. Renjun and Chenle were sitting on the floor and Johnny was in the kitchen with Taeil.   
Yuta, Jaehyun and Jungwoo were sitting at the table and Si-Cheng walked out of the bathroom. They all looked to him.   
"How're you feeling?" Kun asked as he went up to him.  
"Fine.. my head hurts a lot, but I'm fine."   
"Can I check everything to make sure you're okay?" Hyuck nodded. Kun checked his blood pressure, his eyes, his reflexes and such. "How's your stomach?"   
"Uh, fine. "   
"You hungry?" Johnny asked as he entered with more pancakes for everyone.  
"Uh… I'll eat a little." They all ate, Hyuck only nibbled at the pancakes. He was still feeling off. 

They were all talking when suddenly they heard a scream from Johnny's room. They all ran there and Taeyong opened the door.   
Mark was sitting up clutching his chest. He seemed to be breathing rapidly.   
"Mark?" Taeyong asked, stepping closer to him. Mark whipped his head to look at Taeyong. He seemed panicked at first, but relaxed when he saw who it was. Taeyong sat next to him on the bed and hugged him. Mark started crying.   
Everyone else went back to the living room after seeing that Mark was okay.   
"What were they planning on doing to him?" Jisung asked quietly to Chenle.  
"I don't know.."   
"Rape?" Jisung asked, after he said it he shook his head. "I don't like thinking about that."  
"He said they were from a rival school." Hyuck said, stuffing his face with fruit. He wasn't really hungry but he wanted to fill a small hole that was burning in his gut.   
"What school?" Jeno asked. He sounded like he was going to find them and beat them up. Jaemin put a hand on his shoulder, centering him a little.   
"I don't know.. apparently that cheerleader lured him upstairs. And probably also drugged him. " He saw their shocked faces. "He said it was because… they found out he was gay…"   
"What the fuck." Jaemin said. He looked disgusted by that. Jeno put his arm around his waist. Jaemin melted into the touch.   
"That's so messed up!" Chenle said. Jungwoo, who was listening in, nodded.  
"Some people are so hateful." Jungwoo said sadly.  
"So what, like they were going to drug him and rape him for being gay? What's the logic there??" Renjun asked, getting angry.  
"I don't think they're logical people. But some people think all gay people are like pedophiles. So maybe they thought.." Hyuck added. He tried to shake the thought out of his head.   
"Fuck them." Jisung said, everyone was shocked because he seemed like someone who would never cuss. "That's so fucking messed up! What can we do about it??"   
"We can tell the principal and hopefully they will find them and punish them." Jaemin suggested.   
"Or we can take it into our own hands.." Renjun said.   
"No, Junie. That's not a good idea. You could get in trouble." Taeil commented.   
"But, the principal, even the police won't do shit! They're probably homophobic too and probably slightly racist."   
"I know, but it's dangerous. Just leave it. Let Mark decide what he wants to do. Okay?" Renjun sighed.  
"Okay."   
"You too, Jisung." Jungwoo added.   
"Okay.." he said quietly.   
Johnny's bedroom door opened and Mark and Taeyong came out. Mark had changed into sweats and a t shirt that was way too big on him.   
"How're you feeling?" Johnny asked him as he handed him a cup of coffee. Mark took it.   
"Thanks." Mark didn't answer the question, he just sipped his coffee. They decided to act like everything was okay, so they started joking around and such. Mark was glad they were trying to be normal. He sat next to Jaemin on the couch and drank his coffee. Every so often he would notice one of their worried glaces at him. He decided to ignore it and try to concentrate on the stupid conversation at hand. Which was about if ducks would be good pets. Mark looked over to Hyuck, who seemed like he was in his thoughts, because usually he'd be loud and opinionated, but he was quiet.   
Hyuck looked up and saw Mark staring. He smiled at him. Mark gave him a small smile.   
Soon they all were driven home. When he got home Lisa asked if he had a fun sleepover. He nodded and went straight to his room.

Mark didn't come to school for a whole week. Hyuck missed him. Especially in his science class. Usually they would make fun of the teacher or the weird words they had to learn, but without Mark it was sooo boring.  
He missed Mark's laugh and his warm touch. He also missed his lame jokes.

Friday was his first show and he was really nervous. He paced backstage before the show. The noise from the crowd outside was growing louder.   
"You okay?" Xaiojun asked him. He was in his scarecrow costume. Hyuck was in his tin man costume, but it was more boxy than his.  
"Yeah… just nervous." Xaiojun put a hand on his shoulder.  
"You'll do great. I know it. Just do it like you did in rehearsal." Hyuck nodded. He felt sick to his stomach. He started pacing again. One of the people that played a munchkin came up to him.  
"Someone said they needed to see you. They're at the stage door." Hyuck had a confused face on, but he went to the stage door. A familiar brown haired boy stood at the door.   
"Hi." Hyuck said. He smiled when he saw him.   
"Hi." Mark said with a smile. "You kinda look like gimbap…" Hyuck rolled his eyes.   
"Shut up.."   
"I just wanted to say… break a leg, or whatever theatre people say.." Hyuck smiled.  
"Thanks. How are you?"   
"Uh, I'm okay. I'll be back at school on Monday."   
"That's good." Hyuck bit his lip slightly. "I missed you."   
"I missed you too." Mark smiled at him again.  
"Thanks for seeing me before the show."   
"I wanted to see you.." Hyuck couldn't help but to get excited. Although it was probably just because they were really good friends.   
"10 minutes!" The stage manager called. Then he heard a bunch of 'thank you 10' behind him.  
"I have to go."   
"Okay, I'll see you out there."   
"Okay." Mark hugged him lightly, although it was awkward because of Hyuck's costume. Then Mark left and Hyuck forgot why he was so nervous, he was smiling. 

"Why're you smiling so wide?" Xaiojun asked.   
"No reason…" Hyuck tried to stop smiling.   
They weren't on for a while, but when they were Hyuck sang his heart out and afterwards he felt exhausted. After final bow and he took his make-up off and changed he went out to see his friends. Lisa was there too. She gave him a flower. 

There was an opening party but Hyuck didn't want to go to a party, so he went over Taeil, Johnny, and Kun's. Their apartment was big so everyone from the club came over.   
Hyuck got a little more tipsy than he wanted to. He was having fun though. He liked feeling light. He liked not caring about what he said, especially in front of Mark. Mark wasn't drinking, he hadn't and probably won't drink for a while.   
He still looked like he was having fun. Laughing at Johnny's jokes. Hyuck stole glanced at him. 

It was getting later in the night and some people were sleeping on the floor or couch already. Hyuck was sitting on the floor next to Mark. Hyuck leaned over on Mark's shoulder, maybe getting a little too close.  
"Mark.."   
"Yes?"   
"Johnny is sleeping on the couch. Let's take his bed." Mark chuckled.   
"Okay." Mark helped Hyuck to the bedroom. Hyuck wasn't drunk enough to stumble, but he was drunk enough to not know where he was going. Hyuck collapsed on the bed. Mark tucked him in and then went for the door.  
"Stay?" Hyuck mumbled. Mark stopped in his tracks.   
"I'm just getting you water."   
"Oh." Hyuck was too drunk to feel embarrassed. Mark chuckled and then left. He came back with a glass of water and made Hyuck drink it all. He did so, then Mark sat on the bed next to him. Hyuck sat up, but his head spun a little as he got up.  
"You okay?"  
"Mmhm.." Hyuck replied. Hyuck looked into Mark's eyes.   
"You were really good in the musical." Mark smiled softly at him. "Like extremely good. Even the acting was good. The song about not having a heart was really good."  
"I have a heart." Mark looked at him confused. Then he smiled, like Hyuck was telling a joke.  
"I know. You're not actually the tinman."  
"How do you know I have a heart?" Hyuck leaned closer to him.   
"Uh, because otherwise you'd die."   
"I meant a different way…"  
"What are you talking about?" Mark shifted in his spot. "You should sleep, you're not making any sense."   
"I know how I can prove I have a heart." Hyuck leaned closer to him. Mark still looked confused. Hyuck took his hand and placed it on Mark's jawline.   
"What are you doing?" Mark breathed out. Hyuck's heart was beating faster from being so close to Mark's face. He wanted to kiss him so bad.   
"I care about you. Like a lot." Mark didn't move from his grasp.  
"I care about you too, Hyuck."  
"No.. I mean.. I like you.."   
"I like you too. You're one of my closest friends." Hyuck sighed.   
Hyuck leaned closer and placed a soft kiss on Mark's lips. Hyuck couldn't see Mark, but he knew he tensed up. Hyuck pulled back and looked at him.   
He was in utter shock. Hyuck felt shame wash over him.   
"I-I'm sorry.." Hyuck said. He looked at the bedspread. "Just forget that happened.. I-" Mark used his hand to tilt Hyuck's face up to him. Mark smiled at him. He kissed him slowly.   
It felt soft and gentle. Hyuck's lips tingled, he was finally getting the kiss he craved so much. Hyuck smiled against his lips. When Mark pulled out, Hyuck forgot where he was and what he was doing. He was just so happy that Mark kissed him back.   
"I don't want to forget that.." Mark said quietly. Hyuck smiled at him.   
"Me either.." Mark smiled at him. "God, you're cute." Mark blushed slightly and looked down.  
"Uh, thanks…"   
"Did you really just kiss me?"   
"Yeah.."   
"Oh, good. I thought I was dreaming."   
"You have dreams about kissing me?" Mark quirked his eyebrow.   
"No.. no.. I mean…" Mark laughed.  
"I'm just messing with you." Mark held Hyuck's hand. Hyuck squeezed Mark's hand. "You could have just asked me.. if you wanted to kiss me so bad."   
"You would have said yes?"   
"Mmhm.. cause I like you too… I just didn't know you were into men.." Hyuck smiled.  
"I'm into you." He said with a cheeky grin. Mark couldn't help but smile at that. Hyuck placed his hand on Mark's cheek. "I can't believe you like me too…" Mark kissed Hyuck softly, like he was telling him it was true. " If I wasn't drunk.. I'm not sure I would have had the guts to tell you…"  
"Well, I'm glad you got drunk then." Hyuck smiled at him. "What time do you have to be at school tomorrow?"   
"Uhh, 4:15. Why?"   
"Lets go on a date tomorrow?" Hyuck smiled.  
"Okay."   
"Now go to sleep.. it's already." Mark looked at his watch. "2:30." Hyuck laid down, feeling his head swim a bit. Hyuck pulled Mark down. Mark turned his head to face him.   
"Sleep with me?" Mark stared blankly at him. Hyuck realized what he said sounded weird and gasped. "I mean. Like in the same bed. Like we'll both be sleeping.. but next to each other.." Mark chuckled at him.   
"Yeah, I'll sleep here." He kissed his cheek. "You're so cute." Hyuck closed his eyes and smiled. Hyuck held his hand under the blanket. And soon Mark could hear the gentle breathing of Hyuck. Mark fell asleep soon after. 

And this time, when he slept, he didn't have nightmares of being forced down. He didn't have nightmares of the hands that left bruise marks on his hips.  
When he awoke, his hand was still attached to Hyuck's hand. He pryed his hand out of Hyuck's grasp and went to the living room.   
Most of the people in the living room were up, only 5 people were asleep in bedrooms and Johnny was still asleep on the couch.   
"Morning." Jaemin said to Mark. Taeyong glanced at Mark.  
"Morning."   
"How did you sleep?" Taeyong asked, handing him a cup of coffee. Mark took it.  
"Great."   
"Really?"   
"Yeah. " Mark smiled at him. Taeyong gave a soft smile back. He looked at his watch. It was 10am. Mark tried to plan his day out in his head.   
He would go home around 11:30, shower, then go on his date with Hyuck at around 12:30. Then he would make Taeyong drive Hyuck to school and then at 7 he would go to Hyuck's show again. This time with flowers. 

Hyuck woke up with a massive headache, he wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol or the lack of sleep.   
He got up and rolled out of bed. He wished Mark was still with him. He touched his lips, remembering the feeling of Mark's on his. He smiled and hoped it wasn't a dream. He exited the room and saw most of his friends sat in the living room. Jeno and Jaemin were cooking and being gross and lovey dovey.   
When he walked in everyone looked up at him. Mark smiled at him, Hyuck smiled back.   
"Good morning."   
"Good morning, Mr. Actor. How'd you sleep?" Yangyang asked him.  
"Well. Really well…" Hyuck tried not to blush as he walked to get coffee. He poured himself a cup then looked over at Mark, who was eating. Hyuck looked down, maybe it was a dream? Hyuck stared into his coffee cup, when suddenly a hand was on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Mark, who smiled at him.   
Mark cleaned his dishes, then placed a kiss on his cheek.   
Hyuck smiled brightly. It definitely wasn't a dream.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning went well, everyone ate then Taeyong drove Mark home with Hyuck. Taeyong noticed how Mark sat in the back with Hyuck, and how they seemed to sit extra close together.  
When they dropped Hyuck off Taeyong decided to confront him.  
"You and Hyuck seem close…"   
"Yeah.. he's like one of my best friends."   
"Yeah? That's all?" Mark looked at him.  
"What do you mean?" Mark pretended not to know anything.  
"Nothing. Just… if you need any help or advice.. let me know.." Mark nodded. When he got home he showered and then got dressed for his date. He then waited until 12:30 to walk over to Hyuck's place. He knocked on his front door.   
"Oh, hello, Mark." Lisa said. She smiled at him. Lisa was always nice to Mark. She was grateful he was Hyuck's friend.  
"Hi, Mrs. Park."   
"Hyuck!" She called up the stairs. "Mark is here!" Mark heard shuffling and then Hyuck ran down the stairs. His hair was still slightly damp. He almost tripped on the last step and tripped trying to get his shoes on. Mark tried not to chuckle.   
"Bye, Lisa." Hyuck said, grabbing his jacket.   
"Be safe! Have fun!" She said as Hyuck closed the door. Hyuck stood next to Mark and took a deep breath.  
"Hi." Mark said with a slight chuckle.   
"Hi.." Hyuck tried not to blush. He was excited for his first date and may have been nervous too. "Uh, where are we going?"  
"Uh, I was thinking the soda shoppe? Or we could grab food at Riley's and have a picnic?"   
"We could do a picnic. I need to get my wallet though," Hyuck turned back towards his door. Mark grabbed his hand.  
"Let me pay for you." Hyuck was about to protest, "It is a date after all." Hyuck sighed.  
"Okay." Mark took Hyuck's hand and they walked to Riley's. Riley's was a local diner that them and their friends went to often. The food was good and greasy. Unless you ordered a salad.   
They talked about homework and Hyuck caught Mark up on school drama. Mark let Hyuck talk and smiled the whole time. They got to Riley's and went in.   
"Mark! Hyuck! Nice to see you." The older waitress said. She had red hair that was tied up in a bun.  
"Hi, Rita." Mark said, with a smile.   
"Your usuals?"   
"Yeah, plus two cokes. And to go please." Mark said. Rita smiled at them and write down their order. Mark and Hyuck sat on a bar stool.  
"We should go to Yellow stone. It's like a 10 minute walk." Hyuck said.   
"Sure." Hyuck closed his eyes for a second, a wave of pain shooting through his head. "Is something wrong?"   
"No.. my head just hurts a little."   
"Oh.. do you want to go back and get some medicine?"   
"No. I'm okay." Hyuck smiled at him. Mark nodded slowly. Soon their order was done and they took it and walked to the park. They sat on a picnic blanket Mark brought and ate. Hyuck liked being close to Mark. He liked the way his heart raced when Mark smiled at him.   
"Does your head still hurt?"   
"Uh, no. It's okay."   
"That's good."   
"Can I ask why you didn't come to school for a week?" Mark sipped his coke.  
"Uh… I haven't been sleeping well lately.. and… been.. recovering from that night." Hyuck held his hand.   
"Makes sense. I'm sorry you've been having a tough time." Hyuck looked at Mark, he looked at their intertwined hands. "Did you sleep well last night?"   
"Actually, yes. It was the first night in a while that I didn't wake up in the middle of the night." Mark looked up at him, Hyuck took in his tanned skin and his twinkly eyes.   
"Was that because I was there?"   
"That would be the only thing that changed."   
"Well, anytime you need sleep, I'd be willing to sleep with you." Mark raised his eyebrow at him. Hyuck panicked. "I mean.. sleep in the same bed.."   
" _Right.._ " Hyuck elbowed him in the side. Mark chuckled lightly.   
"Thanks…" Mark smiled softly at him.   
"I missed you. Science was utterly boring without you."   
"I bet. Mr. Smith is so dull." Hyuck nodded. "I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to not see you for a week. I just was processing and didn't want to bother people and uh, forgot to call you or anything…"   
"I understand. I was just worried." He smiled at him. Mark loved that smile.  
"I didn't mean to worry you."   
"I know. But I think I'll always worry about you a little bit." Hyuck sent him a wink. Mark blushed instantly. Hyuck smirked at the blush on his face. Then Hyuck leaned closer to him. Mark watched him with calm eyes. Hyuck placed a soft kiss against Mark's lips. Mark deepened the kiss, putting his hand on Hyuck's waist. Hyuck leaned closer into him. He wanted to be closer and closer to him. He wanted to show Mark that he truly liked him and he truly wished he could erase all his bad memories. Mark pulled back, breaking their lips apart. Hyuck smiled at him. Mark smiled back.   
"I like doing that." Hyuck said quietly. He suddenly got embarrassed and looked down at his hands. Mark held them.  
"Me too." Hyuck looked up at him and he smiled. Hyuck could tease Mark all he wanted, but Hyuck didn't really know anything about dating, or kissing, or having a boyfriend. He didn't even know if Mark was his boyfriend.   
Mark and him laid down on the blanket, Mark's arm around him. And looked at the sky. The trees swayed slightly with the wind, the trees were beginning to turn yellow.   
"Hey, Mark?"   
"Hmmm?" Mark said. He was looking up at the squirrels playing in the tree.   
"Uh… so, are we like dating? Like are you like my boyfriend or? Friends but we kiss sometimes or??" Mark turned to look at Hyuck, he was trying to avoid Mark's gaze.   
"What do you want us to be?" Hyuck wasn't expecting that question, he looked into Mark's eyes, he was serious. Hyuck turned away once again.  
"Uh… I'd like to be dating… but if you don't want to…" Hyuck snuck a peak at Mark's face, searching it for any indication of doubt.   
"I'd love to date you. " A wide smile grew on Hyuck's face. They laid like this for a while, enjoying being together. Soon it was 3:30 so they started walking back. Mark offered a ride from Taeyong to their school. Hyuck accepted so he could spend more time with Mark. Hyuck grabbed his things from his house then got into the car with them.  
"Thanks for the ride, Taeyong."   
"No problem."   
Hyuck held Mark's hand. He liked the way Mark's fingertips were calloused from guitar and the way the rest of his hands were quite soft. They sat in comfortable silence.   
Hyuck's head started hurting again, but he ignored it, pushing it off as not drinking enough water.  
When they got to the school Hyuck said bye to Taeyong and Mark.  
Mark suddenly got out of the car too and pulled Hyuck's hand. He turned around.   
"Yes?"   
"Break a leg. You'll do great." Hyuck smiled at him. Hyuck didn't know why but he really wanted to kiss him, so he did. Mark tensed up then, kissed back. Hyuck pulled apart.  
"Thanks." Hyuck let go of Mark's hand and he walked into the building. Mark turned around to see Taeyong smugly smiling at him. He rolled his eyes and got in the car. Taeyong opened his mouth to say something.   
"Don't." Mark warned. Taeyong shut his mouth and focused on driving. He didn't open his mouth until they were half way home.  
"So… you and Hyuck, huh?"  
"Uh, yeah…" Mark looked out the window.   
"Are you guys, like dating?"   
"Yeah.." Taeyong squealed with delight.  
"Oh, my baby brother is growing up!" Mark rolled his eyes again, but gave him a soft smile.  
"Hyung? Can we get flowers for Hyuck on the way to the musical?" He seemed to get shy all of a sudden.  
"Sure." Taeyong ruffled his hair with one hand.

Soon it was showtime and Mark and Taeyong and a couple other friends sat in the audience.   
Hyuck felt even more nauseous than before the first show. He ran to the bathroom and threw up. He wiped his mouth off. He had been throwing up recently, he didn't enjoy it. He felt super tired too. After he cleaned himself up he went back to his place back stage. The musical had started already, but he didn't go on for a while. He drank a ton of water, trying to feel less nauseated. His head was also pounding. It felt like his brain was trying to escape his skull.   
"Are you okay?" Xaiojun asked him.   
"Uh.. yeah.. just have a headache.." Hyuck tried to ignore the pain.  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I could ask one of the teachers if they have aspirin?"   
"No… I'm okay." Xaiojun slowly nodded. He didn't seem like he was convinced.   
"Hyuck! You're on!" A tech crew member said. Hyuck scrambled to the stage. The lights were so bright they hurt his eyes. He tried to not pay attention to them, but it was blinding. They created little spots that danced across his vision. His ears were buzzing. He didn't even notice when Dorthy repeated her lines. Hyuck felt extremely dizzy and also didn't remember what he was supposed to say. He tried hard to remember.  
"Wow, who are you?" Dorthy repeated again. Hyuck tried to close his eyes so the lights weren't as blinding. As he did so, suddenly he was falling. Soon the floor met his back and everything went dark.

The girl playing Dorthy screamed, there was panic in the audience. Teachers rushed on the stage, trying to wake him up. One of the teachers ran to call 911. Mark tried to get to Hyuck, but the crowd was panicking and chaotic. Taeyong held him in place, so he didn't get trampled. Mark was panicking.  
"Hyuck!" Mark screamed.


	5. Chapter 5

Mark tried to get to Hyuck, but the crowd was panicking and chaotic. Taeyong held him in place, so he didn't get trampled. Mark was panicking.  
"Hyuck!" Mark screamed. Renjun put a hand on his shoulder. It didn't really comfort him. He needed to see Hyuck. Soon an ambulance came. The teachers told everyone to move out of the way. And Mark could see Hyuck carried out on a stretcher. Mark had tears in his eyes, he realized he dropped the flowers he had gotten for Hyuck.   
"Hyung? Let's go to the hospital. Hyung, let's go!" Mark pulled Taeyong's hand. Taeyong stayed put, mostly because he couldn't move much in the crowd full of people.   
"Mark, calm down." Taeyong said as calmly as he could. Mark tried pulling him again and Taeyong held him by his shoulders. Mark's watery eyes met his. "We can't get out until people in front of us move. I'm sure they called his caretakers. He is getting the medical help he needs." Mark still looked determined to run to the hospital. Taeyong embraced him. Mark started crying into his shoulder. He was scared, scared that he'd lose Hyuck. "It's okay," Taeyong whispered as he rubbed his back. Soon the crowd dispursed and they got out. Taeyong drove Mark,Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun to the hospital. When they got there they saw Lisa and her husband Paul.  
"Hi, Mrs. Park." Taeyong said to her. She looked over at them and gave a small smile.  
"Hi." She looked worried. Her hair was messy and she looked like she had been crying earlier. "They're giving him an MRI. They think he had a concussion that didn't show symptoms until now." Jeno and Jaemin's eyes widened. They knew what could have caused that concussion, being thrown to the floor. They shared a worried look. Kun had checked him out, he seemed fine the entire time. "How'd he even get a head injury? Like did he fall or something?"   
"Uh, he got in a fight and got thrown to the floor…" Jeno said. Lisa's eyebrows furrowed. Mark looked at Jeno, he didn't remember a fight. Then again if it happened that night, he didn't remember much.   
"He didn't seem too hurt.. we even had him checked out by our friend who is in medical school." Jaemin said. Lisa looked kind of angry.  
"You didn't tell me?" She said. Jeno and Jaemin shrunk with her glare.  
"I'm sorry Mrs.Park. it's my fault. I should have told you." Taeyong said. Lisa sighed.  
"It's.. it's okay. I just didn't know he was hurt at all… his parents are going to be so worried." Jaemin and Jeno looked at the ground. Renjun patted both of them on the back slightly.   
"Are you here for Donghyuck Lee?" A doctor said, looking at the group of people. Lisa nodded. "We did an MRI. There is no permanent brain damage, but there was a concussion about a week ago that wasn't dealt with. He is now conscious, but does anyone know how his head injury happened?"   
"Uh, he got thrown to the floor. He must have hit his head." Jeno said.   
"Was he nauseous afterwards or dizzy?"   
"He did throw up…" Jaemin commented.   
"Okay. That's good to know. We'll probably keep him overnight, but after that he can go home, as long as he doesn't do extraneous physical activity. And I'll write a note for him to only go to school half time right now."  
"Thank you, Doctor." Lisa said, as he shook his hand.   
"You can see him now. I'd only do a few at a time because he's still a little confused." They nodded. Lisa and Paul went into his room first. After 15 minutes they exited and allowed them to go in.   
Hyuck was in a hospital gown, laying on a bed, he had an IV and a heart monitor on his left arm. He looked tired, he still had some of the stage makeup on, the eyeliner and eyeshadow at least. He smiled when they entered. 

"Hi." Hyuck said quietly. Renjun punched him in the arm, to which Hyuck said ow.   
"You scared us!"   
"Sorry.." Hyuck gave a guilty smile.   
"I'm sorry, I should have taken you to a hospital last week.." Jeno said.  
"It's not your fault." Hyuck smiled at him. Mark held his hand. "I'm okay now. Could've been a lot worse. " Hyuck smiled sleepily at Mark.   
"I'm glad you're okay." Mark said, squeezing Hyuck's hand. Hyuck yawned.   
"We can leave if you're tired." Taeyong said.   
"No.. it's okay."   
"We'll come back tomorrow morning, Hyuckie!" Jaemin said. They left, but Mark stayed next to him for a moment longer.  
"I'm sorry."   
"What are you sorry for?" Hyuck was confused why Mark was apologizing.   
"You got thrown down because of me.."  
"It was worth it. Nothing too bad.. I mean.. I stopped it before it got worse. I'm glad I came in there.." Hyuck smiled at him. Mark still looked frustrated.  
"I know.. but.."  
"Mark, it's not your fault. Plus I'm fine. The doctor said I'll be fine." Hyuck squeezed his hand. "I'm okay."  
"Okay…" Hyuck motioned for Mark to come closer. He stood right by his bed. Hyuck motioned for him to come closer. He leaned over the bed. Hyuck put his hand on Mark's neck and kissed him. Mark smiled against his lips. He kissed back with more energy.   
Someone behind them cleared their throat. Mark pulled apart and turned around to see Lisa.   
"Uh, do you want to talk to your Eomma tomorrow?" Lisa said, eyeing Mark. Mark blushed.   
"Uh, yeah." Hyuck looked nervous.   
"Uh, I'll get going.. bye, Mrs. Park." Mark said. He let go of his hand and started walking out of the room.   
"Bye, Mark…" Hyuck said. Mark left and Hyuck wished he was still kissing him.   
"So, are you and Mark…?"   
"Uh.. yeah. He's my boyfriend…" Lisa sighed.  
"You know how your parents will feel about this." It was a statement not a question.   
"I know… please don't tell them."  
"I won't, it's not my job to tell them that… but, don't get too attached. Your parents.."  
"I know." Hyuck knew what she was going to say. He knew how his parents were. One of the reasons he was sent to America was so that he could focus on studies. If they found out he was dating, let alone a boy, they would ship him back to Korea. But he couldn't help fall in love with Mark. "Do you want me to stay the night here with you?"   
"No, it's okay. I'm just going to be sleeping anyways. Come in the morning and hopefully I can come home."  
"Okay. I'm sorry about the musical. You were great.." Hyuck nodded. He forgot about the musical, the one where he collapsed in the middle of. He wouldn't be able to perform the Sunday show. "Sleep well." She kissed him on the top of his head. And then left.  
Lisa had known Hyuck since he was born. She was a family friend. Hyuck hadn't seen her in years before he moved in with her. She had this motherly aura, but also didn't try to overstep. Hyuck thought it was way better than his mom who was overly protective and controlling. 

Hyuck felt a sense of loneliness. The hospital room was dim, the only sound was his heart monitor and it was quiet. He could hear people sometimes walking outside of his door.   
His body was tired, his mind was racing. He wished he could go to sleep, but his thoughts were too fast. He misses his younger brothers and Twin sister. He missed spending time with them.   
He missed his grandmother, especially her kimchi. He missed his mother, maybe even his father a little bit.   
He was so in his thoughts that he didn't even notice someone was walking in his room. When he saw the figure he jumped a little.   
"Sorry, did I scare you?" Mark said, he sat down by his bed. His voice was a small whisper.  
"Uh.. yeah.. why'd you come back?" Hyuck was happy he was here, but confused.  
"Uh.. I didn't want you to be alone…" Hyuck smiled at him.  
"Thanks…"   
"Is it okay if I stay here with you?"   
"Yes. I would like that.." Hyuck held his hand, it seemed like he was clutching it, to remind him that someone was there.  
"Are you okay?" Hyuck shook his head. "What's up?"   
"Um…" Hyuck tried not to get choked up. "I miss home. I miss my siblings..and the food.. and.. " Mark hugged him and Hyuck started crying. Mark patt his back, trying to soothe him. Hyuck stopped crying after a minute or two. Mark still held him in an embrace. Hyuck nuzzled his head in the crook of his neck. He breathed in his scent, mint mixed with something musky.   
"I'm sorry. I wish you could see them." Mark held him still, until Hyuck got uncomfortable and sat up. He looked around for tissues. Mark got up and handed him a box of tissues.  
"Thank you." He mumbled into the tissue. He blew his nose and tossed it into the trash. "I'm sorry."  
"Nothing to be sorry about. You can be emotional around me. " Mark sat back down in the chair next to the bed. Hyuck pressed his back to the bed.   
"I just miss korea.."   
"That makes sense. Are you going there for winter break?"   
"I uh, think so?" Hyuck shifted in his bed, "I'm tired."  
"You should go to sleep."   
"Will you be here when I wake up?" Hyuck looked around worriedly.   
"Sure, if you want me to." Mark held his hand, the warmth coming back to Hyuck.  
"Thank you." Hyuck squeezed his hand. Hyuck felt extremely tired and fell asleep within seconds. Mark kept holding his hand until his own went numb. He slowly took his hand away and tried to stop the tingling spreading to his finger tips.   
He stared at Hyuck's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful just laying there, his chest falling and rising slowly.  
Mark rested his head on the uncomfortable arm rest and tried to sleep. 

When Mark woke up he felt a pang in his neck from sleeping in a weird position. He stood up and stretched his legs, they felt sore from being squished. He looked over at Hyuck, who was still sleeping soundly. He checked his watch. It was 8am. He sighed and went to go find coffee.   
He walked out into the hallway, blinding lights shone on him. He went to the waiting room where they had a coffee station. He put coffee in a syrofoam cup and added a few little cups of cream. He put the luke warm liquid to his lips. It tasted awful, but he drank it anyway.He needed the caffeine. He walked back to Hyuck's room.   
There was now a nurse in the room and Hyuck was awake.   
He walked in, holding his coffee.  
"Everything looks good. Your vitals are normal. I'll check with the doctor, but you should be able to leave with your guardians consent." The nurse said, looking at her clipboard.  
"Thanks." The nurse left, smiling slightly at Mark before she exited.   
"Good morning, how are you feeling?"  
"Fine.. my head hurts a little, but I'm okay." Hyuck gave Mark a weak smile. Mark sat back down in the chair next to him. "Did you sleep okay?"  
"Uh, yeah. It was fine." Mark lied. Well it was only a small lie. Mark put the coffee cup down and held Hyuck's cold hand. "Yikes, your hand is so cold."   
"Sorry.."   
"No, it's okay. I'll warm it up for you." Hyuck smiled at him.   
"I think the doctor will call Lisa and then I'll get to go home."   
"That's good." Hyuck nodded. Just then Lisa walked in carrying a duffle bag. Mark retracted his hand. Hyuck gave him a confused look.  
"Hi, oh, Mark, you're still here."   
"He wanted to keep me company." Hyuck said with a smile directed twards Mark.   
"Hmmm.." Lisa set the bag down on a chair. "This has some clothes you can change into. After I talk to the doctor we can leave. Also your Eomma wants to talk to you, so we'll use the hospital phone." Hyuck nodded. "I'll go talk to the doctor. You change." Lisa eyed Mark before she left.   
"She doesn't like me." Mark said as he got up.  
"No, she likes you… it's just that… she doesn't like that I'm dating, let alone dating a boy."   
"Oh.." Mark grabbed his cup of cold coffee.   
"It's not like she's homophobic. She just thinks my parents would be mad.."  
"I'll step out while you change." Mark walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. Hyuck got changed, although it was a bit difficult untying his gown by himself. Hyuck stepped out of the room, Mark was leaning against the wall, eyes closed.   
"Hey," Hyuck said. Mark opened his eyes with a small startle.   
"Hi.."   
"You can call your brother to pick you up if you're super tired."   
"No, I'm okay, I'll just ask Mrs. Park to drop me off on the way to your home." Mark smiled at him.  
"Okay… I'm going to go call my Eomma." Hyuck pointed to the phone down the hall.   
"Okay, I'll wait for you in your room." Hyuck nodded and went to the phone on the wall. He dialed the familiar number. It rang three times then someone picked up.  
"Eomma?"   
"Haechan, is that you?" An older voice answered.  
"Hi, grandma." Hyuck missed her sweet voice.  
"Haechan, how are you? How's america?"   
"Uh, it's fine. How are you doing?"   
"Oh, I'm fine, Haechanie. I miss you tons." Hyuck couldn't help but get choked up, he missed his family so much.   
"I.. I miss you too… " a tear escaped his eyes.  
"We'll see you soon, love. I promise. Do you want to talk to your Eomma?"   
"Sure…" there was some shuffling on the other line, then mumbled speech.   
"Hello?" His mother's voice said.  
"Hi, Eomma…"  
"Donghyuck-ah, how are you feeling? Are you okay? Lisa told me you went to the hospital."   
"I'm okay… I'm going home today."   
"Oh, good. I'm glad you're okay, baby." Her voice sounded so relieved. It felt like something was caught in his throat. Tears escaped his eyes and he breathed in shakily.  
"I.. I miss you."   
"I miss you too, baby… are you okay? "  
"Mmhm.." He let out a small sob, people were beginning to look at him.  
"Baby, don't cry… "  
"I'm sorry…"   
"I wish I could see you, baby. I love you so much. You know that, right?"  
"Mmhm…"   
"It will take time to adjust. You'll get used to life there… and you can come for winter break. We miss you too." He heard a small voice in the background. "Do you want to talk to Dong-ju?"   
"Mmhm." Hyuck tried to compose himself. He wiped the tears and snot off his face on his sleeve.   
"Donghyuck-ah!" A girl's voice rung out.   
"Hi, Juju." Hyuck smiled at his twin sister's voice.   
"Are you okay? I had a weird gut feeling and then Eomma told me what happened," she seemed genuinely concerned.  
"I'm okay. You felt something?"   
"Yeah, it's like I knew something was wrong, last night. How's America, besides the hospital part?"   
"It's okay. It's a lot to get used to and I miss you and the kids too. But, guess what?"   
"What?" She sounded her usual cheery self.   
"Don't tell Eomma or Appa, or the kids okay?"   
"Okay. Twin secret." Hyuck smiled at that.  
"I have a boyfriend…" after a second Hyuck heard her squeal with glee.  
"Jinja?"  
"Yeah.. his name is Mark."   
"Wow. I should move to America so I can get a boyfriend!" She joked.  
"Yeah, like that would happen," he snorted slightly.  
"Shut up!" Hyuck laughed a bit and Heard a giggle from his sister soon after. He missed that laugh, she could laugh for hours just thinking about something funny.   
"I miss you. "   
"I miss you too, Donghyuck-ah." She sighed. "Hey, I have an idea."  
"Oh great…"   
"Shut up and listen. We should send letters to each other, so we can keep in touch. I'm sure phone calls are expensive."   
"That's a good idea."   
"I know, right?"   
"I take it back."   
"Rude!" She giggled again and Hyuck laughed. Her laughter was infectious. "Yes, I'm talking to Donghyuck.." he heard her say. "Okay. Dong-min wants to talk to you." There was a rustling.  
"Hi, Hyung!" A small boy's voice said.  
"Hi, Dong-min-ah. How are you?"   
"I'm good! I got to pet a big dog today!!" Hyuck smiled softly.  
"Yeah? What kind of dog?"   
"Uhhhhh, a big one?" Hyuck chuckled lightly.  
"Nice."  
"When are you coming home, Hyung?"   
"In december. Not too long."   
"Oh.. that's too long," he whined.   
"I promise it won't feel too long." Hyuck then noticed a woman standing behind him waiting for the phone. "I have to go."   
"Awwww…"   
"I'll talk to you later. I love you, Min-ah."  
"Love you too, Hyung." There was rustling. "Bye, Donghyuck-ah!" His sister said.   
"Bye!" He hung up and stepped away.  
"Thanks." The woman behind him mumbled. He walked back to his room to find Mark asleep, proper up on his hands.   
Hyuck smiled softly at him. He looked so peaceful.  
"Did you call her?" Lisa said from behind him. Hyuck turned around.   
"Yeah."   
"Were you crying?" She narrowed her eyes at him. Then her gaze softened and she ruffled his hair.   
"I just miss them…" Lisa placed a kiss on his forehead.  
"I know." Hyuck leaned into her touch and felt like he had some sort of family close by.  
" Can you take Mark home? He lives super close."   
"Sure." Lisa shifted in her spot. "Are you sure you want to date him?" Hyuck looked up at her.   
"Yes. I really like him… like maybe even love him…" She nodded. They went inside the room. Lisa picked up Hyuck's bag. Hyuck went over to Mark and placed a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes.   
"Come on. We are ready to go." Hyuck said softly. Mark groaned slightly and stood up. He stretched his back slightly. 

They left the hospital and took Mark home.   
"Call me if you need anything?" Mark said as they approached his house.   
"Mmhm.. I'll see you later." Mark placed a kiss on his cheek.   
"Thank you for the ride, Mrs. Park."   
"No problem." Mark exited the car and went into his house. Lisa drove to their house. Hyuck felt tired still, so he showered and went to bed


End file.
